A Lemon

[Gowator]

Hmmmm

I have to admit my initial experience with 9.1 was its a lemon.

Faulty Cd's, and enough updates in a month to fill half a CD when i didn't even have a phone line. etc. etc.

 

But it turned out well again.

I can certainly sympathise with AussieJohn on this, perhaps now he will reflect on why a few of us who have been with Mandrake for a long time complained a lot.

 

The whole problem is Im sure it will turn out to be great (after several hundred megs of updates etc.) and if it happens to like YOUR hardware.

 

Of course if you build a system specifically for mandrake compatibility and then they change you will be a little peeved.

 

Just me 2c

Edited November 28, 2003 by Gowator

[tyme]

As I said in my post, I am using OFFICIAL GENUINE paid for DISKS made by Mandrake.

 

I have only ever used Western Digital HDDs and NEVER had troubles with them in either Red Hat or Mandrake8.0/9.0 or 9.1.  ALL my friends use WDs and also have never had troubles involving Linux from an HDD standpoint.

i missed the part about the genuine discs. i assumed they weren't since i didn't know 9.2 discs were shipping already.

 

all I know is that WD officially does NOT support Linux on their hard drives. I also know that I had issues that were unexplainable, even after a long trouble-shooting session with a mandrake techie. i've read various places, and have been referred to various posts on the older forums, in which people state troubles with western digital drives. again, i only had a problem once, and it was just something i thought i'd through out there.

 

the thing is, I don't have a clue why you're having the problems you are because nothing should warrant them. your setup isn't far different from mine and I had absolutely no issues with 9.2. unless you did an upgrade instead of a fresh install (upgrades are a notoriously bad idea), there's no reason for these issues.

[Ixthusdan]

Curiously, I have also read about the WD issue, not only here but at other places, although I myself moved away from WD and have been using Maxtor, so I have never experienced any of the problems described.

 

Also, I have noticed some other posts having difficulties with installs that seem like burning issues, and they also had official discs. Perhaps there is a production problem with Mandrake?

[Gowator]

BAH...

The official disks are probably the worst sort.

I had countless prob's with my Powerpack Boxed 9.1 (including the Cd's not actually being manufactured properly)

Just as I was going to give up I got a Magazine with 9.1 download edition. Rather happily IT WORKED perfectly. First time

 

 

Again, back to the old discussion ....

GET A BUSINESS MODEL MANDRAKE.....

 

The irony is if you download the disks yourself you end up with a better copy and since you had the BW to download them the UPDATES are not to bad.

If you buy them, presumably through philanthopic leanings and/or because you don't have the internet you end up with a DOG. (well a mutt, depending on your hardware etc. it might turn out to work really well or not)

[VeeDubb]

Frankly I am not interested in the debate about which version had how many updates and bug fixes versus the other one.  To me it is irrelevant.  9.1 worked flawlessly for what i used it for and 9.2 does not (before or after installing updates).

Then stay with 9.1

Amen.

 

That'sone of the beautiful things about linux. Just like in windows, different version play nicer with differnt pieces of hardware. The difference with linux i that if you find 9.1 works best for you, you're not realy loosing anything to stick with it.

[linuxknight]

As stated in my own topic in the hardware section, Mandrake 9.2 did give me problems and 9.1 did not. The Xfree packages, as well as how the systems load via lilo changed once again in 9.2 and my system will not unload the kernel. 9.1 as well as other distros (older ones), such as 8.2 mdk and rh 7.3 worked like a charm, while newer versions of distros didnt like my system although it too is very new. If I could get mdk 9.2 working I'd be a happy man, but for now I'm cranky, and will not deal with the pain. Mandrake is a good distro out of the box, but if something they dont need to change is changed, it might not be for the better. Ofcourse this is my own opinion, but security is not an issue when you have a slackware box in which will pass any security exam in front of the Mandrake Box or even Wintendo for that matter. Some things are meant for the better, but some things are not. Its just that a few things like the XFree version and Lilo should not be changed until they work perfectly. A distro is not a distro when it's too cutting edge for even the newest hardware to work, even if using Gentoo is the case, atleast Gentoo loaded without a problem. One thing that should be added as an option on Mandrake is loading bzImages off floppies so that I don't have these issues.

[Gowator]

Neo:

I know just what you mean!

(possibly my shortest ever post?)

[bvc]

:o how'd I miss this one for a day? :P

 

It's A Different Version

 

Hello?

 

That Means Different Pkgs

 

And

 

Different Kernel

 

hello again?

 

Haven't you ever heard of someone installing and running win98 just fine but when they tried Win2k it wouldn't even install? I have, many times. An OS is an OS. Most have far more experience than me and I learned this fact really quick. What's taking you all so long? Seriously?

 

You can't post this thread and expect people not to respond with logic, so don't say you do not want to hear it, because you will......at the minimum it'll be from me. If you'd like, I can delete it for you. Then you won't be tempted to read it.

 

Hmmm....didn't know diskdrake was broken. Mine works. Always has. Yet people have always said it's got a bug. Hmmmm.....

 

moving to SuSE? Cool! It's a great distro! Just installed it 2 days ago and I'm extremely impressed. More than with any distro. ACPI runs better than I ever knew it could....ever....and that's for win and lin......it's beautiful!

 

WD? Oh I wish you could see old club-nihil and it's 100 or more threads about WD issues. There's no denying it. Which proves the point. Look how long you and your friends have gone without WD issues. Heck, I thought they'd disappeared til tyme said he had some probs recently. Lets say it was one of your probs.....it happens. It's a diff version, with diff pkgs and a diff kernel. Sorry it didn't work for you but maybe my day will come as well. I just understand that it's a man made OS/distro, man controlled business model and that you get what you pay for and I won't be posting a rant thread. BUT, if I do, I sure wouldn't tell people I don't want to hear logic/their opinion. You say you

remain open to new advice and information

but your reaction to such overshadows your words.

[AussieJohn]

BVC you certainly come on strong with your criticism while acting as a "moderator". You obviously did not read my comment fully, if you had you would have seen that my comment referred to a possible debate about which version had more or less updates after release. It is still irrelevant to what I was saying in my first post.

This comment did not reflect on anything else that was said by others.

 

Funny isn't it that other moderators did not find it necessary to be so rude and pointed.

 

Cheers. John.

[AussieJohn]

Thanks GOWATER and LINUXKNIGHTand others for your insight into the fact that maybe the CDROMs, although official Mandrake ones, could be the real problem.

 

I have only the usual dial up internet connection so downloading is not an option, and had noticed many threads regarding install problems from downloaded Mandrakes and always believed that buying the official ones made more reliability sense ( besides also financially supporting Mandrake).

Thanks to your more reasoned posts I can now see that this is a possible reason for the problems.

 

I have noticed that my supplier is clearing out present disk stocks for nearly half usual price and am starting to wonder if this an acknowledgement of a problem with that batch. After all 9.2 has not been out very long and it seems strange to be having a heavily discounted sale already. I shall be following up on this in detail and will keep everyone posted of what I find.

 

Cheers. John (69yrs young)

[Gowator]

AussieJohn

I don't think bvc meant anything towards YOU.

and mods are entitled to opinions too, outside being mods.

 

BVC - Its still fundamentally 2.4. More like win98a and win98b (usb added)

9.1 started as a real bad release for me and now I like it. I think all I am saying is it could have been like it is now when it was released. I',m sure 9.2 will be great and all once the problems are ironed out.

 

I said it before (but ill repeat) and I agree with linuxknight. Some thiungs in a distro SHOULD work faultlessly. (or very close) These include the installer, package management, lilo/grub etc.

You know I don't like Win-Lin comparisons anyway but

 

Linux needs to continue getting better....

It won't if its just accepted that things don't work. Replacing buggy package X with a newer shinjier package X which is still buggy but looks nicer is not so much progress as replacing it with a stable one. IMHO

[Steve Scrimpshire]

My question is this:

A distro is not a distro when it's too cutting edge for even the newest hardware to work

 

(emphasis added)

 

Isn't it with newer hardware that one would expect the most problems in any version of Linux? The older pieces of hardware will have time to have their drivers reverse engineered or whatever, while newer hardware, unless their manufacturer were actively pro-Linux, would have compatibility issues. Now, I will admit that in my case, I specifically searched for hardware that people had positive Linux experiences with (and positive experiences in general with) when I built my box, but I want to make sure that people don't begin assuming that with Linux, newer hardware = better. Or am I the misguided one?

 

I am no blind follower of the beauty of Mandrake....if you could search the old board about some of my rantings with 8.1, 8.2 and search here for 9.1 still not liking my Jabil/Kadoka MoBo, my furious ravings about MDK 9.1 included a, in my opinion Alpha release (0.3-something) of software that controls network interfaces (ifplugd) hardcoded in the init scripts that not only killed my networking abilities, but left me with a totally unusable system, unless I completely unplugged my network card or hacked the initscripts. My furious venting about The Club are here, as well....but I shoulda known better in that case. On my behalf, I would like to say that I thought a company on the verge of bankruptcy would begin to care a little more about it's remaining paying supports, but I digress.

 

Anyway, I, as much as anyone, can understand your frustration, but really, you're preaching to the choir here. We are all here to voluntarily help others when MDK can't (or won't), so why take your frustrations out on us? I'm all for venting, but I really think this should've gone in Offtopic or Everything Linux rather than here. I mean, if I walk into a restaurant full of satisfied paying customers and start vocally complaining to the other customers about the crappy service/food/whatever, do you really expect them to just sit there and not 'defend' the restaurant or at least look at you like you're crazy?

 

I mean no offense or disrepect by any of what I'm saying. Just my opinion.

[bvc]

good point Steve Scrimpshire. The last rant like this was moved to Offtopic. I'll keep it linux. Moved by bvc.

 

AussieJohn,

Aside from the fact that I am the only mod/admin that is rude and pointed and sometimes to others it may seem I go out of my way to do so, I mostly, as in this case, just call it like I see it and hold no punches. Truth can not be compromised not even for modship. I'll lay it down if it ever does. Many disagree, but I think as Gowator

mods are entitled to opinions too, outside being mods.

while acting as a "moderator"

what was I modding? That tiltle gives me the ability to perform functions, that's all. And I was not performing a function. Am I a mod when helping someone get ML to boot? Nope. Again, many disagree. Oh, well.

 

The "possible debate about which version had more or less updates after release." is hardly debatable but again, fact. What I saw in that is what I and others have said. Different version, different results. New version, new problems, always a lot, always complainers...it's the same old story, new song and dance but this time you weren't asked. Next time, I may not be asked. So it made complete sense to me.

 

Version after version it's the same. I've always stood back silently, and focused on helping people. I decided this time I would not be silent because my first and favorite distro is on its last leg and doesn't need it's so called long time users kicking it out from underneath them....ooop there it is! Ask Counterspy. I got on to him at linuxiso. I was much, much, harsher because I knew Counterspy had a history of negativity every release. Later I felt I was too hard, publicly apologized, and received a friendly pm from Counterspy. :D

 

Newbies I can understand. Those in 'the know' should understand that the 6 month cycle WILL be met, and if an rc goes to release a week early because the competition is coming out with their release....WELCOME TO LINUX! Do I agree with it? No.

[Counterspy]

One thing that puzzles me is the constant whining from Mandrakesoft that they need volunteers and never say volunteers to do what. Since returning here from a board where most regular participants run more than one and often more than two distros, what is striking is the level of hardware that is being used. The same is true here. People are using hardware that Mandake fails to detect properly and it is often not the fault of the hardware manufacturers refusing to provide drivers and support. Much of the hardware listed here is certainly less than two years old and much is one year old or less. As a group we are in a position to test out different hardware configurations Mandrakesoft could never hope to do with their existing base. But, as always, they remain stubbornly stuck to control, control, control. Without a significant change in attitude, this resource will never be used. When seen from outside in a world with many competing distros and high end hardware, the full potential of this distro will remain unfulfilled. It's really too bad.

 

Counterspy

[bvc]

this resource will never be used.

you can bet it's used, just not in a cooperative manner>user to devel, but instead devel browses forums.....occasionally.....maybe....if they have time.....and feel like it

 

Yes it's too bad. Especially when you think what mandrake 'could' be.